Random Harvest: Quick News Briefs About St. Petersburg

By JON WILSON, Consulting Editor, TB Reporter

The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Museum of African-American History will be host to a gun-violence documentary Friday (June 17).

ST. PETERSBURG — The Pinellas County Urban League and the Dr. Carter G Woodson African American History Museum invite the public to attend the public screening of the documentary film Making A Killing, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. In efforts to continue our community conversations to bring about more awareness to gun violence in St. Petersburg, the screening is designed to spark conversation and work to make a change in the community.

The screening is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. The museum is at 2240 Ninth Ave. S.

In other St. Petersburg news:

At its June 9 meeting, the City Council approved $350,000 for a pilot ferry service and authorized Mayor Rick Kriseman to negotiate an operating agreement with HMS Ferries Inc. The project is being funded collectively by St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties using BP settlement funds. The ferry service will operate for six monthsbetween St. Petersburg and Tampa, making two trips Monday through Thursday and the weekend, and three trips on Friday. The pilot project will gauge the commuter and recreational market to determine if a ferry service can be sustainable in the Tampa Bay region.

The city began accepting applications for the South St. Petersburg CRA TIF grant programs on May 31 and received 55 applications June 3. This is the inaugural year of these grant programs and officials say the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Next steps will be an application review period and selection of grant recipients, who will then engage in grant agreements with the city.

Travel + Leisure magazine named St. Pete as one of the five best summer travel destinations in 2016. Other locations listed were New York City, the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Jackson Hole, WY., and Alaska. “With an abundance of arts, food and culture, St. Pete has got it all,” says writer Michelle Gross, highlighting “The St. Pete Shuffle,” the Dali Museum, our farm-to-table restaurants, and of course, our many local breweries.

St. Petersburg’s Raymond James joined three other Tampa Bay companies, including Jabil, on the 2016 Fortune 500 list. The investment and brokerage firm rose 39 spots from No. 521 in 2015 to its current position at No. 482.